All about Adnams Mini Casks

These little 5L barrels of beer are incredibly popular, especially for parties and celebrations. We usually have Adnams Southwold Bitter and Broadside available throughout the year, and we also put a selection of limited-edition beers (such as Fat Sprat and Old Ale) into mini casks seasonally. Our mini-casks are filled with fresh beer straight from our brewery here in Southwold. All are cask-conditioned beers which still contain a small amount of yeast - it is a live product, similar to what you would get on tap in the pub. This means that the mini-casks have a shorter shelf-life than our cans and bottles - please don't keep them beyond their 'best before' dates. We send them from the brewery to you with a minimum of two weeks 'shelf life' and a maximum of seven weeks, so if you're planning on using mini-casks at an event, you may prefer to order them around two weeks prior to the event.

Looking after and how to open your mini-cask

It's always a good idea to keep your mini-cask in a cool place to retain freshness, and allow 24 hours for the beer to settle once it has been delivered to you before opening. The 5L cask contains around 8 pints of beer and once opened it will keep for 4 days. Your mini-cask needs to be consumed on or ideally before its 'best before' date. Dan Gooderham, Adnams Brewer, has put together a 'How to' video guide on mini-casks.

Watch the video now:

Full instructions on using your mini-cask are printed on the cask and we have listed them below for your convenience. 1. Break the bottom tab and gently pull out the tap from the base. Turn the tap anti-clockwise to pour 20ml of beer out in to a glass and then discard. 2. Ventilate the mini cask by lifting the top tab and turn from 0 to 1. Allow the beer inside the mini cask to settle for 24 hours. 3. Turn the tap anti-clockwise to pour, clockwise to close. DO NOT push the tap back in! There may be some sediment in the tap when first opened. Discard the first 20mls if cloudy. 4. Once ventilated and opened enjoy your mini cask within 4 days. Take care not to spoil that final delicious pint by disturbing the natural yeast sediment that will have settled to the bottom of the mini cask. Close the vent at the top when not in use. Our mini casks can be be recycled with plastics and can recycling, either at home or at your local recycling point. We hope you enjoy your mini cask!